Was Chapter 240 a gift for me?
After thinking it over, Song Chunxue agreed.
She's not good at things like showing her face in public.
But Yao Man, like her, had lost her husband and was left to fend for herself alone.
The opening day will definitely be busy; Yao Man herself is the real draw for customers.
It was just helping to keep an eye on the guests; it wasn't a big favor.
Thinking this way, she decided to make a decent outfit, one that was too old-fashioned or too eye-catching.
On her way back, she bought three kinds of fabric at the clothing shop: a new sky-blue silk fabric that could be used to make a short jacket, a lilac-purple satin with a dark pattern that could be used to make a medium-length vest. They were fine materials and styles that she had never worn before.
She also bought a bamboo-green silk cloth for Sanwa, which could be used as a cross-collar long gown.
When interacting with classmates in private, one cannot wear old burlap clothes, lest he be afraid to mingle with the crowd.
When she got home, she started cutting the fabric and called her third son to take her measurements.
"Mother, is this silk cloth?"
Sanwa touched the soft, light fabric, seemingly in disbelief. "This kind of fabric is very expensive. Mother, you actually bought it, and so much of it?"
"Why wouldn't you be willing to spend it? Spend money as soon as you have it. Don't wait until you're old and can't move around anymore, then you won't have the ability to spend it."
That's what they say, but Sanwa felt that his mother was being too extravagant.
"But it's always good to save some money. If you spend it all at once, won't you be miserable in your old age..."
"Pah, pah, pah! Who has a miserable old age?" Song Chunxue slapped him irritably. "Do you think I don't understand this principle?"
Sanwa lowered his voice, "Does Mother have a lot of money?"
"No, not at all."
Sanwa is right, money doesn't last long, it's always good to earn a little bit more from time to time.
Now that the sheep have been sold, the family is raising two donkeys, one of which is about to give birth.
There is no other way to make money besides this.
Song Chunxue drew lines with a clod of earth, then used large scissors to cut the cloth, while Sanwa watched from the side.
“When I came to the county for the second time, I bought a shop. I was thinking of letting my fourth brother take it and do some business in the future, but he is still young and it’s good enough for him to make a living. Sanwa, what do you think we should do to make money?”
Sanwa touched the piece of cloth that had been cut off. "The cloth shop is pretty good. Mother can wear nice clothes every day."
Song Chunxue laughed, "Then where am I supposed to get my supplies? Besides, there are quite a few clothing shops on this street, and a large cloth store too. Do you think I can compete with them?"
Furthermore, opening a shop on the street means having to pay bribes to local thugs and hooligans, making business difficult.
If all else fails, why not just sell the shop?
"I heard that thanks to Lord Xie's efforts in cracking down on these corrupt practices, those gangs that accepted bribes have already shut down. Mother, you don't need to be afraid of them. Besides, as long as business is good, we can afford to spend a little money."
Song Chunxue was still hesitant. "I'll think about it some more."
Doing business requires investment. Song Chunxue has been an honest person all her life. She is willing to spend money, but she is always a little uneasy about investing a lot of money and then relying on luck to make money back.
Sanwa knew his mother's concerns.
"If all else fails, Mother, how about opening a noodle shop?" He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "It'll be a bit hard work, though. Otherwise, even if we only sell noodles with meat sauce, the business won't be bad."
“That’s right. It would be very hard for me to run a noodle shop by myself. It’s not worth it to hire a helper. I don’t want to work hard to earn small amounts of money anymore. It’s too tiring.”
Song Chunxue said, "Anyway, there's no rush. We'll take our time."
Sanwa nodded.
They ate dinner early that evening, while it was still light outside.
Since we stopped raising sheep at home, we've been eating dinner earlier, which has saved us a lot of lamp oil.
"Mother, are we going to learn to read today?"
"Yes, wait a moment. Can you help me look at the booklet left by my senior brother and teach me the Eight Extraordinary Meridians Chart so that I can learn more acupoints?"
Sanwa took the paper, pen, and booklet to the stone table in the courtyard. "Does Mother meditate every night now?"
"Yes, we can't slack off." Song Chunxue looked like she was humbly seeking advice. "How do you pronounce this character?"
"Hai, the Hai of Qi Hai. The Qi Hai acupoint is located two finger-widths below the navel. Didn't you know the location of Qi Hai when you were circulating your Qi before, Mother?"
"I only know the name, but I don't know how to write it." Song Chunxue pointed to the words on the booklet, "What's this called?"
Sanwa patiently answered her questions.
"By the way, Mother, how's the lucky charm coming along?" Sanwa asked with a smile. "Could you give me one?"
"Not yet. These past few days, I've been getting dizzy just looking at the talisman I've been drawing. I'll try again in a few days." Song Chunxue frowned and shook her head. "I'm currently learning how to make exorcism talismans and peace talismans."
As she spoke, Song Chunxue turned around, went into the house, and handed him a triangular talisman sewn together with red cloth.
"Wear it close to the body, and sew it yourself into the clothes inside."
Sanwa nodded, "Then I'll give it a try."
Although he was quite unsure of himself, after all, the talisman his mother drew herself couldn't compare to the one the Taoist priest made.
But even if this talisman doesn't work, it shouldn't be harmful.
The mother and son spent half an hour writing and drawing on the table, studying the subject. As night fell, it was time to go back and rest.
Before entering the house, Song Chunxue couldn't help but ask, "Sanwa, do you miss Xia Mulan?"
"Huh?" Sanwa's ears turned bright red instantly. "I... I'm not married yet, why would I be thinking about her?"
Seeing that Sanwa was about to escape, Song Chunxue said in a serious tone, "You only think about it when you're not married. Once you're married, you won't think about it anymore after a while. You're at the age when your heart is just beginning to flutter, so it's normal for you to think about it."
"What I mean is, is it possible that because you've studied, you'll look down on Xia Mulan and won't want to marry her?"
Sanwa quickly explained, "No, no, unless they are from very wealthy families, women don't usually get much education. Even if I don't marry Mulan, I'll marry a woman who hasn't received any education. Why would I look down on her?"
"Besides, the engagement has already been made. It would be ungentlemanly to break off the engagement because of this."
Seeing that he was so anxious he was almost stuttering, Song Chunxue stopped teasing him.
"That's fine, as long as you have her in your heart."
Sanwa's neck turned red. "Mother, I'm going to sleep."
After saying that, he quickly closed the door.
Song Chunxue couldn't help but laugh and went back to her room to meditate.
*
The next day, the sweet fermented rice was ready, and it was both juicy and sweet.
She scooped out two large bowls and put them into a small porcelain basin, intending to deliver them to Lord Xie's house.
We had agreed beforehand that he would have a chance to try it.
Just as I stepped out of the yard and closed the door, someone gently tapped my shoulder.
Song Chunxue instantly swung her elbow to hit someone.
"Hey, it's me. Why are you hitting me?"
It's Meiyang.
She then remembered that she had agreed to go to the fields to settle accounts at noon today.
"Don't lay a hand on me. If you attacked from behind, you should have expected me to retaliate."
Mei Yang crossed his arms and chuckled roguishly, "Sister-in-law isn't a martial artist, why are you so particular?"
"From now on, that's it." As she spoke, she took out a purse from her bosom. "Is there 150 coins left? Is the land all plowed?"
"If you're worried, sister-in-law, why don't you come with me to the fields and take a look?"
Song Chunxue felt uneasy whenever she saw him; it would make her tense up, and she always felt that this person was definitely not a good person.
"No need to look, here you go." She counted out 150 coins and handed them over. "Take it."
Mei Yang didn't answer. "Does my sister-in-law dislike me that much?"
"You did the work, isn't it only right that I pay you?" She was a little anxious and wanted to leave as soon as possible.
"I have other things to do, you can keep it."
Mei Yang raised his hand and then took her hand in the next moment.
"you……"
Song Chunxue subconsciously wiped herself on her clothes.
"Is that sweet fermented rice in your hand a gift for me, sister-in-law?"
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